Advice On Life I Learned From People Smarter Than Me

I read to find great ideas and write to tie them together in a way that is easy to apply to life. I don’t have an opinion on what anyone should do. But I’m happy to share what I’ve learned with the hope that it’s useful to others.

I’m influenced often and widely. Anything written here is an attempt to organize and simplify ideas I’ve learned from those wiser than myself.

• Write or journal every day. Writing leads to clear thinking. Writing allows you to get things out of your head and go on with your day. I use the Five Minute Journal almost every day. And most mornings I do a form of Morning Pages.

• Meditate. Meditation is a practice. I think of it as sitting and watching your mind. You’ll start to notice how wild it is, but you don’t judge it, you just watch. After enough repetition, you’ll notice how your mind works in real time. When it’s jumping to conclusions, when it’s searching for something to worry about. Every time you acknowledge it and bring yourself back to what you’re doing, it’s like a bicep curl for your brain. I initially learned from an app called Headspace. Now I kind of have my own practice that Naval Ravikant describes well.  

• Go for walks. The best part about living in DC is that it’s an amazing walking city. And COVID-19 has only made more time for that. Ryan Holiday has a great piece that talks about figures throughout history that made walking a part of their day.

• Have a morning routine. Keep it simple. A morning routine lets you start building good momentum early. So that by the time you get to the more difficult parts of your day, you already have a few wins under your belt. Tim Ferriss has a good podcast episode where he clips together morning routines from top performers who’ve appeared on his show.

“Routine, in an intelligent man, is a sign of ambition.” – W. H. Auden.

• Break a sweat every day. Pretty sure I heard Matthew McConaughey say this. But it’s an easy rule to set for yourself. We all know exercise is good for us, find a way to sweat every day and you’re trending in the right direction.

• Learn to say, “you’re probably right.” Don’t waste time with people who like to argue. Especially on the internet.

“Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.” – Mark Twain

• Don’t keep social media apps on your phone. Download and delete after using if you want, but don’t keep them on your phone. Social media is designed to be addictive.  From the colors to the scrolling, social media apps are designed like slot machines.  

• What gets measured gets managed. Find a way to track your progress. I’ve seen a direct correlation between improvement and measuring. This has been true with sleep, writing, nutrition, and anything else I’ve applied it to.

“If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time.” – Zig Ziglar

• Consistency is king. If you're willing to consistently rise about short-term pleasures for something greater, you can pretty much do anything.

• Go first. I’m an introvert, so this one is harder for me. Other people feel just like you, they’re hoping someone will talk to them. Go first, make people feel like they belong. Be what you’re looking for and you’ll attract the kind of people you want in your life.

These are things I know are good for me but need to constantly work towards. I don’t always do them, but my life is better when I do.